CTS Blog and Articles

The endurance athlete's source for information on training, nutrition, motivation, strategy, and more.

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The 6 Keys to Great Training and Big Improvements

The 6 Keys to Great Training and Big Improvements

There are a lot of athletes who do not train to win races. Many train because they enjoy being fit and performing at their best in non-competitive events like cycling tours, charity rides, or the local group ride. Still more train because of the role being fit and active and engaged in sport plays…

Posted: July 31, 2015

Author: CTS

Gut Check: 6 Strategies to Stop GI Distress from Ruining Your Event

By Jason Koop, CTS Premier Coach and Ultradistance racer ‘This race will take all of the grit, guts and determination you have’. I can remember these words being belting out over the loudspeakers by Leadville Trail 100 race director Ken Chlouber in front of a packed gymnasium of nervous athletes. While Ken was most likely…

Posted: July 29, 2015

Author: CTS

3 Steps to Preparing for Back-To-Back Events (or, Why the Giro-Tour Double is so hard!)

One of the best things about having a staff of full-time coaches is the impromptu coaching round-table discussions we tend to have. This week we had an interesting discussion about the Giro d’Italia – Tour de France Double, or more broadly the attempt to win two back-to-back Grand Tours in a single season (Giro-Tour…

Posted: July 24, 2015

Author: CTS

6 Ways to Descend Like A Tour de France Cyclist (And Not Die)

Descents are free speed. You spend almost every second of a bike ride pedaling and working to move forward, but the descents are your reward and your opportunity to make up time. For professional cyclists at the Tour de France, however, descents aren’t always free. Many times they are stressful and fraught with extreme…

Posted: July 22, 2015

Author: CTS

Can you answer these questions about climbing at the Tour de France?

Many of you have been watching the Tour de France for years and perhaps you’ve read my commentary and articles about the training and strategies riders use to be successful at the Tour. On the other hand, some of you may be pretty new to watching the Tour de France or any professional cycling event. So, let’s…

Posted: July 17, 2015

Author: CTS

How to Come Back from the Dead on Climbs

Stage 12 of the 2015 Tour de France is a beast, with three major climbs along the sawtoothed profile before the peloton hits the steep slopes of the final climb to Plateau de Beille. And being the last of three days in the Pyrenees, with a relatively moderate stage coming on Friday, the yellow…

Posted: July 15, 2015

Author: CTS

What are we going to do about rider safety in pro cycling?

Earlier this week Jim Ochowicz, my old team director from 7-Eleven, upset some cycling fans by suggesting that the Tour de France should reduce the number of teams in future races in order to reduce the number of crashes. And while other people have made that suggestion in the past, Jim further ruffled feathers…

Posted: July 10, 2015

Author: CTS

Playing in Traffic: How cyclists use the caravan to get back into the race

Try to imagine this: You’re flying along in a peloton that’s traveling well over 30mph and you hear a distinct hiss coming from your back wheel, followed by that squishy feeling of a tire quickly going flat. Within seconds the peloton is gone, cars and motorbikes are whizzing by, and you’re feet are on…

Posted: July 8, 2015

Author: CTS

Weekend Reading: 7 Tips to Save Your Ass and Avoid a Crash

The Tour de France starts today and that means cycling fans will be treated to amazing racing and incredible drama over the next three weeks. Unfortunately, crashes are one of the realities of pro racers have to face, and the first week of road stages are among the most dangerous days of racing for…

Posted: July 3, 2015

Author: CTS

Use These Intervals to Unlock Your Speed!

Being a strong athlete and being a fast athlete are not necessarily the same thing. There are a lot of athletes who have great endurance and can maintain a hard and steady pace hour after hour. But a lot of times those strong athletes lack the punch for high-speed, high-intensity efforts. That’s why speed…